The battle between two affordable premium smartphones has just got more intense, with the recent launch of two new models, Meizu M3 Note and LeEco Le 1s Eco, in India. Also, the existing Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is still getting a lot of attention. So here's a comparison of all the three phones to help you pick the worthiest handset.
All the three phones fall in the same price range, which makes it difficult for buyers to choose the right one. Depending on what you are looking for in a smartphone, each one fights for buyers' attention with a compelling bundle of features.
Let's take a look at the specifications of individual smartphones and how they stand out when compared to each other.
Design
All the three smartphones have distinct designs, which make it a matter of personal choice for shoppers. LEeco Le 1s Eco is identical to the Le 1s smartphone, which we reviewed earlier this year. It has the same full metal unibody design with a fingerprint scanner at the rear and volume and power buttons on the side. The ultra-slim bezels make the display look wider and better.
Read: LeEco Le 1s vs Le 1s Eco
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 features a metallic finish and a unibody design. The handset comes with a fingerprint scanner at the back, placed just below the camera sensor. The speaker is also found at the back of the phone, which is unique to the Redmi Note 3, unlike its rivals in this category.
Meizu M3 Note also has a metal unibody, but has a physical home button, which is not seen in the other two phones. We have already reviewed the M3 Note and found its design to be one of the key selling points.
Read: Meizu M3 Note Review
Display
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, LeEco Le 1s Eco and Meizu M3 Note have the same displays, measuring 5.5 inches with full HD resolution. The Redmi Note 3 display offers a 178-degree viewing angle with Sunlight display tech and a special night mode. Meizu M3 Note gets the 2.5D screen for a much refined look and offers good viewing angles without being a fingerprint magnet. The Le 1s Eco's display is the same as that of the Le 1s with edge-to-edge screen glass.
Camera
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 packs extra pixels compared to the other two rivals. It has a 16MP rear-facing camera with PDAF, dual-tone LED flash, dual ISP and HDR and a 5MP front-snapper with 36 smart beauty profiles for better selfies.
Meizu M3 Note and LeEco Le 1s Eco both share a similar 13MP rear-facing sensor and a 5MP front snapper.
Processor, RAM and storage
In this comparison, we have chosen the entry-level model of the Redmi Note 3, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 CPU, 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. Comparatively, the Le 1s Eco and Meizu M3 Note have 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage with different processors. A 64-bit MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core processor powers the M3 Note, while 1.85GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core processor runs the show on the Le 1s Eco, which is not much different.
Software and fingerprint sensor
All the three phones are powered by Android 5.1 Lollipop. Meizu M3 Note has its own Flyme OS skin on top of the main OS, Xiaomi uses its MIUI 7 and Le 1s Eco features EUI skin. The Redmi Note 3 and the Le 1s Eco have fast fingerprint scanning sensors placed at the back, while Meizu offers the biometric sensor on its physical home button on the front.
Battery
Meizu M3 Note, at 4,100mAh, has the biggest battery unit of them all. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 takes the second spot with 4,050mAh unit while the Le 1s Eco packs a 3,000mAh battery pack. The Le 1s Eco comes with a new standard USB Type-C port while the other two handsets pack microUSB slots. LeEco Le 1s Eco and the Redmi Note 3 have fast charging tech but the Meizu M3 Note is deprived of that feature.
Price and availability
All the three smartphones are priced at Rs. 9,999, but the Le 1s Eco is available at that price only for the first flash sale, which will take place on May 12 exclusively on Flipkart. The handset comes with free one year LeEco membership, which offers access to movies, TV shows, music and cloud storage, among other benefits. The handset's launch price is Rs. 10,999, which makes the limited period offer a worthy discount.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is available on Amazon India and Mi.com/In in flash sale model, which is on a first-come first-serve basis. The next sale for the handset kicks off on May 18.
Meizu M3 Note is also available in a flash sale model, which requires registrations. The first sale will take place on May 31 exclusively on Amazon India.
